Moneydorragh More, County Down

Origin

Ir. Muine Dorcha Mór ‘dark thicket/scrub (great)

Background

Of the three townlands which form subdivisions of Moneydorragh (Moneydorragh Beg, Moneydorragh More, Moneydorragh More Upper), two appear to be as old as the middle of the 16th century (note the -s plural in the earliest historical spelling, Mundorghes, 1540AD). The third, Moneydorragh More Upper, first appears in the records in c. 1830. Both the OSL and the OSNB record the Irish form of the name as Muine Dorcha and this is supported by the earliest anglicized spellings. The subsequent development of -o- to -a-, as contrasted in the forms Monydoragh in 1663 and Monnydarragh in 1786, can be attributed to the tendency in Ulster Irish for –o- to be lowered to –a- before certain consonants. The designations mór ‘great’ and beag ‘little’ are very apt as Moneydorragh More is much larger than Moneydorragh Beg.